If your basement is flooded during a storm, are you covered for losses caused by water damage?

Call your home insurance company or insurance broker to see if you have sewer backup coverage. This is an extra protection you have to buy and not a standard item in most policies.

I called my own insurer after Toronto’s storm, waiting about 10 minutes to reach a live person. I found I’m covered for up to $50,000 in water damage (with a $500 deductible) at an extra cost of $210 a year.

Sewer backup causes basement flooding when storm sewers get overloaded and can’t do their job in carrying water runoff.

“You know it when you see water bubbling up through a floor drain or a shower drain in a basement washroom,” says Pete Karageorgos, manager of consumer and industrial relations at the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

“The water has nowhere else to go. It’s a bottom-up type of flooding.”

Home insurance generally doesn’t cover damage from flooding when rivers, lakes, streams or creeks overflow their banks. In this case, water moves into a home at ground level and descends to the basement.

Overland flooding is a risk only for the small percentage of people who live in a flood plain, such as those living near the two rivers in Calgary that recently overflowed.

Water damage may result from both overland flooding and sewer backup. In such a case, you have to read your insurance policy carefully.

Many Calgary residents found they were denied coverage for sewer backup, since their insurers had excluded damage from reversing sewers if it was flood-related. (At least one company backed down after a public outcry.)

If a flood is caused by a crack in a home’s foundation, you’ll be out of luck when making a claim. Gavin Nettlefold, an Etobicoke resident, knows of it from personal experience.

“We had a flood in May, caused by a sewer backup, and it was covered completely,” he says. “With the heavy rains last Sunday and Monday, we had another flood. We discovered we had a leak in the foundation and we weren’t covered by insurance.”

Your home insurer can also refuse coverage if your flood was caused by poor lot grading or drainage, overflowing eavestroughs or downspouts that are leaking or plugged up.

What about car insurance claims? Maybe you abandoned your vehicle on a waterlogged street or found it submerged in a parking lot.

You will be reimbursed for vehicle damage caused by water if you have comprehensive coverage, says Karageorgos. This isn’t mandatory, so check your car insurance policy to see if it’s included.

Don’t be afraid to call your insurance company. Yes, the lines may be busy. Stay calm and persist. You want the insurer to send an adjuster if needed and hire restoration crews to start the cleanup.

Take photos or videos of the damage. Keep receipts from any emergency repair work or any cleanups you did to prevent further damage.

Call the City of Toronto at 311 any time. It will inspect the problem and try to determine the source of the flooding. You can submit a claim to the city, if you feel it’s warranted.

Be mindful of health and safety when cleaning up your flooded basement, the city advises. Sewer backups can expose you to water-borne diseases, corrosive cleaning agents and the risk of electrical accidents.

Keep children and pets out of the area. Dress appropriately with overalls, gloves, protective glasses, rubber boots and a mask.

Finally, consider hiring a professional cleaning company to deal with a sewage-contaminated basement and a licensed plumbing contractor to recommend ways to reduce flooding.

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